{"id":58327,"date":"2021-03-27T05:02:07","date_gmt":"2021-03-27T05:02:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/?p=58327"},"modified":"2021-05-03T03:33:36","modified_gmt":"2021-05-03T03:33:36","slug":"make-money-color-grading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/make-money-color-grading\/","title":{"rendered":"How to make money color grading &#8211; webinar"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<em>This month we\u2019ve focused on \u2018Money\u2019 \u2013 always important, but especially in a pandemic. You can listen to the latest Color Tour podcast or watch the session from the last Colorist Mixer for more on rates and charging.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>While grading at home with minimal equipment has made learning to be a colorist far more accessible than before, we continue to hear from newer colorists that it also means a lack of mentorship, which is far less accessible than it was. This is why we at iColorist try to keep the conversation going on the skills and knowhow that matter most to our industry.<\/p>\n<p>On this topic, we held a live webinar, with iColorist instructors <a href=\"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/instructors\/diego-yhama\/\">Diego Yhama<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/instructors\/jeff-greenberg\/\">Jeff Greenberg<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/instructors\/kevin-shaw\/\">Kevin Shaw<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/instructors\/warren-eagles\/\">Warren Eagles<\/a>, and guest speakers Mark Todd Osborne and Rebecca Goodeve. You can read the summary or watch the video below.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]<div class=\"ult-spacer spacer-69ddaec831836\" data-id=\"69ddaec831836\" data-height=\"30\" data-height-mobile=\"30\" data-height-tab=\"30\" data-height-tab-portrait=\"\" data-height-mobile-landscape=\"\" style=\"clear:both;display:block;\"><\/div>[vc_video link=&#8221;https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7ornmUiFZr0&#8243; align=&#8221;center&#8221;]<div class=\"ult-spacer spacer-69ddaec831844\" data-id=\"69ddaec831844\" data-height=\"30\" data-height-mobile=\"30\" data-height-tab=\"30\" data-height-tab-portrait=\"\" data-height-mobile-landscape=\"\" style=\"clear:both;display:block;\"><\/div>[vc_column_text][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<strong>What do you think is the most important attribute of a colorist?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Everyone starts from the same place \u2013 you get there through hard work and talent. There\u2019s no inside track. But you need:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Flexibility<\/strong> \u2013 willingness to take a chance on something and learn on the job.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Talent and likeability<\/strong> \u2013 you have to have the eye, but you also need to be pleasant to work with.<\/li>\n<li>Without being able to <strong>match shots<\/strong>, there\u2019s no grade!<\/li>\n<li>The ability to juggle the room \u2013 <strong>people skills<\/strong> are crucial to entertaining clients and managing multiple stakeholders with conflicting ideas.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Give a bit more<\/strong> than the client expects. Give them the option of a different format, and additional idea. Clients have said time and again \u201cI don\u2019t want a button pusher. I want someone who is going to contribute to my project. I\u2019m looking for your expertise to be applied to my vision to make it better.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Your clients are \u2018gold\u2019, so how do you look after them and keep them?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t be afraid to <strong>pick up the phone and follow up<\/strong> \u2013 don\u2019t let the project end in black space and don\u2019t hide behind email. Oftentimes, especially in COVID, we send off the job and hear nothing and think \u2018that\u2019s great! The client has no edits\u2019. But always ring up and follow up with some \u2018aftercare\u2019. Ask \u201cwas it ok? Is there anything I could do differently next time? Would you like me to do a Director\u2019s cut for you? Do you want me to do another grade?\u201d. Clients really appreciate that follow up.<\/li>\n<li>Show an <strong>appreciation and support for clients\u2019 passion<\/strong>. For example, if you are working on short films doing the festival circuits, share their wins on social media, congratulate them on their success. It\u2019s the little things that don\u2019t take long but mean a lot.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you know when to change your rate?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your <strong>experience, your reputation and supply\/demand<\/strong> will dictate your rates. There is a common rule of thumb that 30% of inbound client should walk when they hear your price. If you are overbooked \u2013 e.g. fully booked, seven days a week and struggling to expand \u2013 it\u2019s time to put up your rates. You can make more money charging more and dropping down to four days a week and having time. Plus, if you put your rates up you get better jobs, not worse jobs.<\/li>\n<li>If you aren\u2019t freelance, but work for a company, and are early on in your career, you often have to move to get what you are worth. If a company has brought you up from an assistant to a colorist, you will need to leave to be accepted as a serious colorist and get decent money. The company will often pay you less because they already invested to train you up.<\/li>\n<li>Whether you are freelance or not, know what you are worth. People will pay what you are worth. That being said, you need to know what your market is prepared to pay as there is a huge discrepancy in rates around the world. You can be flexible now and then if there is a non-financial pay off, but for the most part try to stick to what you are worth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>N.B. The German chapter of CSI is conducting an annual wide-ranging survey on colorist salaries for better transparency and negotiating power globally. You can see the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/app.getresponse.com\/click.html?x=a62b&amp;lc=BgA7je&amp;mc=Cm&amp;s=aPPnaC&amp;u=SmCN6&amp;z=EzdGhyc&amp;\"><strong>results of the 2019 Colorist Salary Survey here<\/strong><\/a> or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/app.getresponse.com\/click.html?x=a62b&amp;lc=BgA75G&amp;mc=Cm&amp;s=aPPnaC&amp;u=SmCN6&amp;z=EBXvVMm&amp;\"><strong>contribute to the 2020 Salary Survey<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0to continue to strengthen the colorist community through economic information. <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/app.getresponse.com\/click.html?x=a62b&amp;lc=BgA7kx&amp;mc=Cm&amp;s=aPPnaC&amp;u=SmCN6&amp;z=EQNxwBH&amp;\">Visit the website<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to find out more about this initative.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you charge when you are first starting out \u2013 should I work for free?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The \u2018prof\u2019 in professional stands for profit \u2013 if you are not making money at what you do, you are not yet professional. That being said, this is a reciprocal business \u2013 if you help people out, and earn favours, enough will pay off down the line.<\/li>\n<li>If there is a client you are working with a lot, paying your full rate, and they say \u201cHey, there is one project we need help on, but there is no budget\u201d, then as long as they continue paying the regular rate stuff there is no harm giving them a freebie. However, sometimes you may never hear from them again \u2013 especially if they feel like they owe you something that hasn\u2019t been paid. So you need to choose carefully and trust your gut.<\/li>\n<li>Sometimes you will be asked to do free work on the premise of more work \u2013 this may never materialise. You might do all the test and send them the look, and they will give it to an editor and ask them to match it. The people who ask for a favour and say they\u2019ll come back when they have money you will never see again.<\/li>\n<li>There has to be pay \u2013 that may not always be financial: if it will look good on your reel, or it is charity work, or a client you know well, it may be worth it. But don\u2019t do free jobs thinking it will build your career \u2013 it won\u2019t.<\/li>\n<li>Low budget jobs are usually an indicator of clients that don\u2019t rate what you do \u2013 it can be a red flag that they will not respect you or your time. If you do take on a job like this, set hard and exact boundaries for the deliverable up front, otherwise your rate will be diluted by scope creep to an even lower rate.<\/li>\n<li>If you take on too many low rate jobs, you can get stuck \u2013 pigeonholed as the person that does the low end jobs. It can be hard to break out of that, people will continue to expect the same price (range) you gave them for the last job.<\/li>\n<li>Even if your set up is basic, don\u2019t undercut yourself or the industry because that is a race to the bottom for everyone. There comes a point \u2013 when you have your set up, your showreel, your credits and you are pitching \u2013 you have to have the confidence to say \u201cI am a professional colorist now\u201d, not a DP\/editor\/whatever.<\/li>\n<li>Be transparent about your rates with other colorists \u2013 it helps us all. Community is one of our biggest strengths.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>N.B. It is to keep community connected and strong in this time that iColorist continues to organise the CSI \u2018Colorist Mixer\u2019 events. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/coloristmixer.com\/\">get tickets for our next Colorist Mixer here<\/a>, we hope to see you there!<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>How to charge for commercial?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>However you charge, make sure the specifics are ok\u2019ed in writing, or clients can keep asking for more and more.<\/li>\n<li>Have an hourly rate and roughly quote how many hours you expect it to take, then specify how much for additional hours. The client may ask for a flat rate, but specify in writing if there is scope creep there will be additional charges.<\/li>\n<li>OR, if you give a fixed rate (for example), specify how many rounds of changes are included in that rate. Also specify a delivery price \u2013 there\u2019s a price for each version the client wants delivered, and define whether you are willing to give the project. You are entitled to charge for that since it can cap further potential revenue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where would you suggest finding and connecting with new clients?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>It can be lonely working as a freelancer so don\u2019t just network clients, network with those ahead of you in the industry.<\/li>\n<li>LinkedIn is a great resource \u2013 reach out to colorists you admire, ask for advice.<\/li>\n<li>(Post-COVID), force yourself to go to networking events and meet DPs, directors \u2013 put yourself out there. Offer to grade their showreel, their film.<\/li>\n<li>Grade their camera tests, play with the looks with them, and build a relationship that way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the best way to break into the industry? <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>You have to be visible to get work.<\/li>\n<li>Follow your interests \u2013 if you dive, work on underwater footage, if you love music, grade gig footage. Look into your hobbies and see who needs videos graded.<\/li>\n<li>The industry really needs dailies colorists right now, which is great training because you have to be good fast. This can be a great starting point and has been for many.<\/li>\n<li>It doesn\u2019t happen overnight, it takes thousands of hours to get good.<\/li>\n<li>Be somebody helpful. Create and maintain connections. You may end up one day grading the films of people you were a runner for.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>How do you care for your eyes?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your eyes are the most expensive tool in the room, so taking care of them is one of the most important things you do. Make sure your display is a healthy distance away and the lighting in the room is good.<\/li>\n<li>Get up and take breaks \u2013 your eyes need a break as well as your spine.<\/li>\n<li>Wear sunglasses and protect against UV!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What advice would you give yourself ten years ago?<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Talk to people more, listen more, be more open.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t be underconfident, but don\u2019t get cocky either. You don\u2019t know everything \u2013 always be a learner. And don\u2019t get too comfortable when you get your dream job in a post house \u2013 stay up with tech and the cameras, keep your craft fresh. Continuous learning will keep you out of ruts.<\/li>\n<li>Go straight to color management now. Don\u2019t try to do it without and then learn it later \u2013 you can save yourself ten years. Learn ACES!<\/li>\n<li>Go to set: colorists learn a lot on set, we often forget that.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/course\/course_category\/color-management\/\">See more on our comprehensive color management classes &gt;<\/a><\/em><\/strong>[\/vc_column_text]<div class=\"ult-spacer spacer-69ddaec83184a\" data-id=\"69ddaec83184a\" data-height=\"10\" data-height-mobile=\"10\" data-height-tab=\"10\" data-height-tab-portrait=\"\" data-height-mobile-landscape=\"\" style=\"clear:both;display:block;\"><\/div>[\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]<strong>Many thanks to our speakers:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Diego Yhama, iColorist instructor &amp; freelance colorist<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.estudioroco.com\/\">Estudio Roco<\/a><\/p>\n<h5>Li: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/diegoyhama\/\">\/diegoyhama<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5>Tw: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/estudioroco\">@estudioroco<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5>Ig: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/estudioroco\/\">@estudioroco<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5>Fb: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Estudio-Roco-416489978531264\">Estudio Roco<\/a><\/h5>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/instructors\/diego-yhama\/#schedule\">Upcoming classes<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Jeff Greenberg, iColorist instructor &amp; freelance colorist<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jgreenbergconsulting.com\/\">J Greenburg Consulting<\/a><\/p>\n<h5>Fb: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/filmgeek\/\">FilmGeek<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5>Li: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jeffgreenberg\">\/jeffgreenberg<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5>Tw: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/filmgeek\">@filmgreek<\/a><\/h5>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/instructors\/jeff-greenberg\/#schedule\">Upcoming classes<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Kevin Shaw, iColorist co-founder, Colorist Society International founder &amp; president, freelance colorist<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.finalcolor.com\/\">Finalcolor<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Fb: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/FinalcolorGrading\/\">FinalcolorGrading<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Li: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/kevscolor\/\">\/kevscolor<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Ig: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/finalcolor_kevin\/\">@finalcolor_kevin<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm3725052\/\">IMDb<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/instructors\/kevin-shaw\/#schedule\">Upcoming classes<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<p>Mark Todd Osborne, freelance colorist<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mtocolor.com\/\">MTO Color<\/a><\/p>\n<h5>Fb: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MTOColorinc\">@MTOColorInc<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5>Li: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/mtosborne\/\">\/mtosborne<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5>Ig: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mark.todd.osborne\/\">@mark.todd.osborne<\/a><\/h5>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm2165104\/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1\">IMDb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca Goodeve, Founder &amp; senior colorist <a href=\"https:\/\/rebeccagoodeve.co.uk\/\">Author Productions<\/a> posthouse<\/p>\n<h5>Li: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rebeccagoodeve\/\">\/rebeccagoodeve<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5>Ig: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/rebeccagoodeve\/\">@rebeccagoodeve<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5>Tw: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Rebeccagoodeve?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor\">@Rebeccagoodeve<\/a><\/h5>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm5946475\/\">IMDb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Warren Eagles, iColorist co-founder, freelance colorist<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.warreneagles.com.au\/Warren_Eagles\/Home.html\">Warren Eagles<\/a><\/p>\n<h5>Fb: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Warren's%20Color%20Shop\/710844755729348\/\">Warren\u2019s Color Shop<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5>Li: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/warreneagles\/\">\/warreneagles<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5>Ig: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/warreneagles\/\">@warreneagles<\/a><\/h5>\n<h5><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/name\/nm1230249\/\">IMDb<\/a><\/h5>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/instructors\/warren-eagles\/#schedule\">Upcoming classes<\/a>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This webinar covers &#8211; How to keep clients; What it takes to be a successful colorist; How to charge and pick jobs; and more<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58329,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,193,191],"tags":[27,339,351,450,262,245,269,255,299,335,64,120,235,122],"class_list":["post-58327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-tips-tricks","category-videos","tag-color-grading","tag-colorists","tag-diego-yhama","tag-english","tag-grading-a-feature-film","tag-grading-a-movie","tag-grading-a-music-video","tag-grading-a-television-commercial","tag-how-long-to-grade-my-movie","tag-jeff-greenberg","tag-kevin-shaw","tag-warren-eagles","tag-webinar","tag-workflow","category-2","category-193","category-191","description-off"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58327"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58327\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58328,"href":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58327\/revisions\/58328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58329"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/icolorist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}